To all the readers, thank you for reading, you keep the story going :)

To all my reviewers, you spoil me with feedback and suggestions* and I am forever grateful.

*I take all suggestions for possible one-shots into consideration and get a feel for them; but I won't post them if I feel that they're not my best work. You guys deserve more than a satisfactory story. Thought you guys should know :)

This is set during the Reckoning when Lauren is telling Derek of her sacrificial plans and making him promise to get Chloe out of the headquarters.

Disclaimer: I know, I was upset too when I found this out, practically inconsolable… but I'm not Kelley Armstrong.

The things we do for the ones we love

DPOV

Lauren kept giving Chloe and I weird looks, which was odd and irritating because we weren't doing anything to merit them. They were a mix of apprehensiveness, shock and an adamant unwillingness to believe what she had witnessed. It looked as if she were seeing Chloe for the first time and coming up for a whole new set of reasons not to like me. After what seemed like hours under her scrutiny, but was mere minutes, she finally said, "Derek? Can I speak to you?" I stiffened and glanced down at Chloe, knowing this could only be about one thing: She was going to order me to keep my paws-no pun intended-of her precious niece. Chloe tried to dissuade her aunt, saying, "W-we don't have time to-"

"It'll just take a second. Derek? Please?" she asked, not taking her eyes off me. I relented, only because her voice held something I couldn't quite place, a mix of desperation and pained acceptance. As I followed her to the corner she had waved me to, I felt like stepping in front of her and blocking her path and asking, rather sarcastically, if she really felt that this was the ideal time to be telling me to stay away from Chloe. But I held my tongue. Not only because I desperately wanted her not to hate me since I didn't plan to leave Chloe, but also because I remembered how her voice had sounded and along with her serious demeanor, whatever she had to say was-to her, at least-important, and curiosity got the better of me.

Then she told me.

I was taken aback, but quickly recovered and proceeded to flat out refuse to do what she asked of me. She intended to sacrifice herself; provide a distraction while we stole away. My end of the bargain was to get Chloe out of here, which meant preventing her from turning back to her aunt in a vain attempt to save her.

At first, I stood my ground, stubbornly refusing to listen to her reasoning.

"No Lauren. Absolutely not. We'll figure out another way to get out. But I will not condone that. I am not knowingly going to send you to your deathbed. And I will not do that to Chloe, not a chance." I said, jutting my chin out defiantly, daring her to try to change my mind. Stubbornness ran in the family apparently, because Lauren would not give up.

"Despite my objections regarding you," I wasn't sure whether she meant her objections to me as a person or her objections to me dating her niece, "I know one thing for sure: you want what's best for Chloe. If you do this, you'll give her that."

I started shaking my head. I highly doubted that the death of her aunt, her surrogate parent, would be 'what was best for Chloe.' My doubt and thoughts must have shown on my face because she said,as if reading my mind, "Let me rephrase. You want Chloe to be safe. And this is the surest and securest way of guaranteeing that."

She took my arm when I hung my head in defeat, nodding at what she was saying. I hated myself for it, absolutely hated myself, but Lauren was right. Her being right did not however change the fact that I was agreeing to let Chloe be robbed of yet another family member-one that had worked so hard to provide the motherly love that Chloe had lost.

And I was conspiring to take that away from her. I could only hope that one day she would be able to forgive me, because I knew that it would take me a long time to forgive myself-if I ever did.

Still holding my arm, she leaned closer to me, her face taut with urgency and despair. 'I know it doesn't seem like it, but this is the right thing-the only thing-to do. All I need you to do is get her out because we both know she'll fight when she realizes what's happening. Please Derek, please promise me that you'll get her out. I need to know that I can count on you."

For a second, something shifted in her eyes and I could see the fear there. Fear for her inevitable demise. Fear for Chloe. And yet. Here she stood, bravely and graciously facing death to save the person she loved and the people she cared for, begging me tacitly to cooperate with her unwavering gaze. I could no longer refuse. Not when she was being this brave. I needed to be brave then too. brave enough to hurt Chloe so I could save her. My head was still hung-in submissiveness or shame, I wasn't sure-but I sighed and finally looked at her in the eyes.

"All right. I promise." I said solemnly, my voice low. It was her turn to sigh, relieved, like a difficult decision had been made. She nodded in acknowledgement, her gaze steadily fixed on me. I turned and walked straight to Chloe, rumbling, "You ready?" It felt like the guilt was eating away at my insides.

"Was she telling you to stay away from me?" she asked with concern etching her tone.

I paused, wanting to break promise to Lauren right then and there and tell he the truth. I felt terrible lying to Chloe, as if I were dirty or tainted. She had never lied to me. She didn't deserve this. Unfortunately, my desire to protect her outweighed my desire to tell her the truth.

"Yeah." I said, squeezing her hand out of her aunt's sight, not wanting to be insolent or disrespectful. "It's okay. We're good."

She looked relieved and we headed for the hall.

This one is kind of short, but this scene called to me. I needed to post something until I write the next one, which will be longer and about the time Derek finds Chloe in the crawl space. Anyways, let me know what you think. R&R :)